Versammlungsraum » Jones toss was high. The pitc

MELBOURNE, Australia - Eugenie Bouchard — the unwitting protagonist of an Australian Open saga that has been dubbed Twirlgate — would prefer if people just focused on her tennis.For the record, Bouchard said Friday she was not offended by the male interviewer who asked her to twirl for the crowd earlier in the week.I think it was just kind of funny, the Wimbledon runner-up said after advancing to the fourth round in Melbourne. Im fine with being asked to twirl if they ask the guys to flex their muscles.This is not the first time the Australian Open has offered up a headline-grabbing sideshow that has nothing to do with tennis.In previous years, two-time champion Victoria Azarenkas former boyfriend, the rap star Redfoo who was a regular front-row fixture, got as much press as she did. In 2011, former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki told a colorful tale about getting into a fight with a kangaroo and showed a scratch to prove it. She later retracted the story, saying she had bumped into a treadmill but wanted to spice up a dull news conference.This year, the seasons opening Grand Slam tournament has Twirlgate, a term being used by Australian media and as a hashtag on Twitter.It started Wednesday when Bouchard, one of the rising stars of womens tennis, was asked by a male interviewer to give us a twirl and show off her tennis dress after winning her second-round match. Noticeably embarrassed, Bouchard complied with a laugh and later said, it was very unexpected.Social media erupted with chatter. Some called it sexist, some questioned whether a male player would be asked to twirl after winning a match, and some dismissed the debate, saying they didnt feel sorry for a highly-paid athlete being asked to twirl.Billie Jean King added to the chorus of criticism.This is truly sexist, tweeted King, an 11-time Grand Slam winner and a longtime campaigner for equal rights in tennis. Lets focus on competition and accomplishments of both genders, and not our looks.The 20-year-old Bouchard, a 1.78-meter (5 foot-10) photogenic blonde, has become one of tennis newest cover girls. She won the Wimbledon juniors title in 2012 and has made rapid progress ever since. She reached the semifinals at last years Australian and French Opens followed by the Wimbledon final which ushered her into the No. 7-ranking — the highest ever for a Canadian player.Bouchard won her third-round match Friday, beating Caroline Garcia of France 7-5, 6-0. After a few questions on tennis, her post-match news conference turned to the twirl.I was waiting for this one, Bouchard said, smiling.Players typically say that during big tournaments they try to stay away from newspapers and limit their time on social media to keep their minds on the game. But Bouchard said she was aware that the incident had caused a stir.My friends are texting me, saying I dance and twirl well and stuff, as jokes, she said. Its just funny how its taken a life of its own. Im just going to try to focus on my tennis.She raised her eyebrows when asked if this was a deja vu of an embarrassing question she faced last year, when an on-court interviewer asked her which celebrity shed most like to date.You mean the Bieber question? she said. Her answer at the time had been fellow Canadian Justin Bieber. I dont know. They try to ask funny questions. Its entertaining, I guess. I dont mind it.But she added that it would be nice to move on.Im happy that Ive played three solid matches here, Bouchard said, and we could definitely be a little bit more focused on that. Chris Hubbard Jersey . -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are disappointed, though not discouraged. Austin Corbett Jersey .com) - Thursday marks the official debut of a new dirt racing surface at Meydan Racecourse. http://www.officialclevelandbrownsfootba...s-jersey-womens. Nix is a career .218 hitter in 425 games over six seasons. The 31-year-old right-handed hitter batted .270 with a homer this spring for Tampa Bay. Nick Chubb Jersey .Boston beat the Nashville Predators 5-3 on Tuesday night and celebrated consecutive wins for the first time in more than a month. Emmanuel Ogbah Jersey . Sections of the British media reported Friday that Brooklyn Beckham, the son of United great David, was invited to a training session at the club on Thursday.CHICAGO -- Henderson Alvarezs scoreless streak came to an end, and the Miami Marlins didnt care one bit. They were just happy to hear the talented right-hander should be able to make his next start after a scary play at first base. Alvarez injured his left hip in the sixth, but Miami made the most of a wild afternoon for Pedro Strop in a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday that averted a three-game series sweep. The Marlins trailed 3-2 before they pushed across two runs in the eighth. They loaded the bases with one out on a walk, a hit by pitch and a single from Casey McGehee. Christian Yelich then scored on Garrett Jones sacrifice fly and Giancarlo Stanton came home on a wild pitch from Strop (0-3). Steve Cishek then struck out two in a scoreless ninth that gave him 14 saves in 15 tries. The Cubs got six scoreless innings from Jake Arrieta, but came up just short in a bid for their first six-game winning streak since a seven-game run in 2011. "I think these guys should keep their heads up," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. "Theyre very disappointed right now because we felt like we were on the cusp of being able to have a perfect homestand." Mike Dunn (5-3) got two outs for the win, but that was secondary for Miami after Alvarez went down. He began the day with a streak of 21 scoreless innings and is regarded as the Marlins best pitcher after Jose Fernandez was shelved by a season-ending elbow surgery. With one out in the sixth inning of a scoreless tie, Luis Valbuena grounded to Jones at first. Alvarez hustled over to cover the bag, but Jones toss was high. The pitcher reached to tap the base with his right foot but missed and landed awkwardly, straining his left hip. "He seems to be OK," manager Mike Redmond said. "Hes got enough time in between starts. He should be finne.dddddddddddd Obviously well know better tomorrow or the next couple of days." After Miamis training staff and Redmond came out to see him, Alvarez threw one warm-up pitch to see if he could continue but quickly left the mound. He was charged with two runs, one earned, and seven hits. "At first I felt like I fell (and) I banged myself on ground. I just continued on, I got up, I felt I could continue to pitch," Alvarez said through a translator. "I went out there, I did what I could to pitch. At the end of the day it was a decision by the manager." Nate Schierholtz then greeted Dan Jennings with a two-run triple down the right-field line that gave the Cubs a 2-0 lead. Alvarez is considered day to day, a relief for the surprising Marlins (33-30). "I feel good," he said. "Thank God." Jones, who was charged with an error on the play, also was relieved that Alvarez was OK. He said he needed a couple pitches during his seventh-inning at-bat to refocus. "You never want to be the guy to make the mistake to lose a game," Jones said. "But that play, hes been our best pitcher, and to lose him on a play like that, it stinks." Luckily for Miami, it probably wont be without Alvarez for long. "We cant afford any injuries - especially to those pitchers. Weve already had that happen and we cant afford anybody else to get hurt," Redmond said. "Definitely concerned (when Alvarez left) but it looks like hes going to be fine so hopefully we got lucky there." NOTES: The Marlins have a couple off days coming up and the plan is to keep its rotation intact. That could change if RHP Nathan Eovaldis pregnant wife hasnt given birth by Wednesday. ... Marlins C Jarrod Saltalamacchia was eligible to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list but wasnt activated. 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